Have watched synth videos since the start of TH-cam but only found your channel today through looking for Mavis reviews. The photography, the useful info, the sounds. You are obviously no amateur and deserve many more subs. You’ll get there soon enough. I’m still in two minds about the synth though!
Thanks for the kind words! Honestly, I put a lot of effort and love into these videos, so it's been a bummer to not get much traction yet! But I'll keep plugging along! As far as the Mavis, having spent more time with it since the video, I can't imagine buying it on it's own. That is an extremely competitive price bracket and there are so many more featured options available. But as a eurorack module, I LOVE it. You get so much for $350, and it's the simplest way to get the Moog sound into the modular world. It's funny that as a standalone, it's biggest drawback is the price, but in eurorack, it's most appealing aspect is... the price! Just goes to show the insane price disparity between standalone and eurorack! But, it will definitely be living in my case for a long time!
First video of yours. This presentation was adroitly produced and narrated with intelligence. You could narrate an episode of Nova. I like the proportion of amplitude of your voice vs the sound source as well. Sounds like you duck the synth audio cleverly while speaking, which adds dynamism and intelligibility. This synth nerd likewise appreciates your utilization of pleasant descriptors like "smudge" to verbally interpret that tasty Moog filter timbre. Well done!
This was a well done review. Thank you. Here's one more reason to NOT consider this as a standalone synth: Moog's implementation of the 1-octave "keyboard" is *really* bad. It is a monophonic keyboard that only functions correctly/consistently if you don't overlap notes (e.g., play legato style or try doing a trill). If you do overlap notes, things go from bad to worse. For example, if you hold down the low C and then play any higher note nothing happens but if you hold the high C and play any lower note you get a correct pitch change (but no re-trigger of the EG). Things get really weird (i.e., awful) if you hold down one of the following notes -- A, A#, B -- and then play one of the other two notes in that trio (e.g., hold A and then play B) in which case you'll here a G# (which isn't correct for any of those three notes). You get a similar result with the notes F, F# and G (hold one, play either of the other two and you'll here an E). Moog's response to this amounts to, "Well, don't play it that way then." The problem, though, is that if you are relying on this excuse for a monophonic keyboard and you're playing anything remotely complex you're going to occasionally overlap notes and this thing is going to (more often than not) give you no note or the wrong note.
Interesting info. I think the only time I’ve even touched the keyboard was for a couple shots in this video! It’s a shame they didn’t leave it off and just go full eurorack!
@@Bloom_Music I try to keep in mind that this synth was probably designed during the pandemic (with people working remotely) and had to accommodate a chip shortage. And I kind of get them deciding on including a keyboard if they're targeting people who don't (yet) have a eurorack setup, although they could have also just included a MIDI interface, I suppose. But I don't get them putting such a lousy implementation of a monophonic keyboard on it. If I were them I'd be embarrassed to put the Moog name on something this bad. th-cam.com/video/WiA6oMcL0Bs/w-d-xo.html
It's great for causing chaos, though. The more I own my Moog Mavis, the less I try to organize it and the more I let its quirks take the lead. It often has cooler ideas than I would have.
Mark me down as someone who appreciated the effort you put into this video. I loved the transition shots you did between each feature. I’m older, but have wanted to mess around with this form of music for years; having worked in a massively popular club in Detroit during the mid to late 90’s and discovering tons of DJ’s and electronic music. That said, I don’t know a freakin thing. East coast, West coast? I have a lot to research, but I feel like I’d really like to dive in as a total beginner at 51. I just don’t want to buy something that I’ll end up getting discouraged with.
Thanks for the kind words! And it's never too late to learn! There's nothing better than playing patches that you created. It's an experience you won't get with other instruments! These days there are lots of reasonably priced options that are great to learn the basics of synthesis with. The Roland System-1, Korg Minilogue, Yamaha Reface CS, Arturia MiniBrute (1, not 2), Behringer MS-1, and Novation Bass Station 2 are all excellent synths to learn with. And if you're ok buying used, you can get any of those for a few hundred bucks or less, so you're not risking a lot. The basic subtractive synthesis you will learn on those units will translate pretty much universally to other, more powerful synthesizers, if you ever decide to upgrade. 👍🏼
Somewhere online I saw these words, "With the Mavis, there's less of a learning curve and more of a ramp." I couldn't agree more. If you just mess around with it, you'll come up with some cool tones. But if you delve into the manuals, both on paper and online, your learning and understanding will increase. The materials that come with the unit are very well written. I'm relatively new to synthesis and have found the Mavis to be a very good platform for learning. Enjoy!
Great points on the patch bay signal flow choices. I've got my Mavis on the way in the mail, I'm wondering if the modding community has work around for things like the vco patch out being pre filter. I know the Werkstatt community has discovered TONS of fun mods.
"You will be disappointed". This is possible. Maybe scope for hacking a euro breakout panel for those patch points. Thanks for the revue that actually was a review for once and didn't hold out on the negatives.
Great review. I’ve been hooked on the Model D App for a few years now and have developed many, many presets that just sound amazing, but I’d love to have a hardware unit. Obviously the three oscillators are rather integral to the Model D... and that perhaps explains, mainly, why I hear nothing like the diverse array of sounds on these reviews. However the Cutoff Frequency and Amount of Contour sound indistinguishable to me; I suspect that’s one of the biggest tells that the digital modelling, great though it is, does fall some way short... the Cutoff filter does sound a little on the harsh side, lacking that analogue warmth. But I’m constantly surprised by the sounds I can get with such an intuitive, non-patch, system. Recently I got very close to John Paul Jone’s keyboard sound on the MSG version of No Quarter, for instance... if anything it probably sounds better.
I smiled when I heard your comment about the "Bucla territory". It kind of ran on my nerves to see all those TH-cam videos and press articles about the Mavis go "Moog going West Coast", as if it was just a matter of slapping a wave folder somewhere in the sound path. Sigh !
Nice video! I would like to buy my first hardware synth and I prefer analog semi modular. Under 500 which is the best one for a complete noob for start the journey? Thanks a lot
I would highly recommend stretching your budget and picking up a used Moog Grandmother. If you are patient and keep an eye on Facebook and Craigslist, you can find one for $600 or cheaper. The Grandmother is a great semi-modular for a beginner because it follows a very traditional architecture, and the patch points are located on the actual "modules", rather than amassed in a patch bay. This is the ideal layout for learning modular synthesis. Also, the Grandmother sounds absolutely astonishing and is a guaranteed future classic. If you can't stretch your budget, then I would recommend the PWM Malevolent. It's a much more aggressive synth than the Grandmother, but it sounds great, and it also has its patch points clearly distributed across the panel. You could argue that there are "better" semi-modular synths out there for the money, but for someone looking to start their journey, these would be the best teaching synths. Anything with a more complex architecture or a patch bay style layout is going to have a much harsher learning curve.
There's a bit of an impression that Moog are losing it having spent some good time with it. Put a sine through that fixed fold to filter combo and wonder at the sound. Oscillator is actually more buzz than other moogs, sublimevraw sound with the pwm. Filter has a significantly different response to regular moog at high frequencies. Loads of overdrive buzz with yhe internal oscillator. Maybe moog aiming for an lpg type sond. Plenty of buzz and crunch. Kind of gives you back some West vibe. Maybe too much buzz for a moog, almost like you need a filter after the filter. Bad marks for low output level, not really euro compatible.
I am so new at this. And I have a Korg Minilogue that I have not touched because I still cant find a sucint asnwer to my question when I ask: WHAT TYPE OF SPEAKERS(affordable) DO I NEED TO HOOK THIS UP TO?!
It will be hard to find a succinct answer to that question, because it is very opened ended! In what context are you using the speakers? Are you just jamming alone in your room, or are you trying to play a show? Is there a reason you don't want to use headphones? And do you want to be able to record the synth as well? 99% of people are going to be running their synth into a mixer or audio interface rather than directly into a set of speakers, so it's kind of an odd question. But if you really want to go directly into speakers, any set of studio monitors in the ~$80-100 price range will do just fine!
Have watched synth videos since the start of TH-cam but only found your channel today through looking for Mavis reviews. The photography, the useful info, the sounds. You are obviously no amateur and deserve many more subs. You’ll get there soon enough.
I’m still in two minds about the synth though!
Thanks for the kind words! Honestly, I put a lot of effort and love into these videos, so it's been a bummer to not get much traction yet! But I'll keep plugging along!
As far as the Mavis, having spent more time with it since the video, I can't imagine buying it on it's own. That is an extremely competitive price bracket and there are so many more featured options available. But as a eurorack module, I LOVE it. You get so much for $350, and it's the simplest way to get the Moog sound into the modular world. It's funny that as a standalone, it's biggest drawback is the price, but in eurorack, it's most appealing aspect is... the price! Just goes to show the insane price disparity between standalone and eurorack! But, it will definitely be living in my case for a long time!
most accurate review on internet. no hyping, just honest info about the device.
yours is the FIRST demo of this instrument that made me even consider purchasing it. EXCELLENT JOB, SIR!!!
First video of yours. This presentation was adroitly produced and narrated with intelligence. You could narrate an episode of Nova. I like the proportion of amplitude of your voice vs the sound source as well. Sounds like you duck the synth audio cleverly while speaking, which adds dynamism and intelligibility. This synth nerd likewise appreciates your utilization of pleasant descriptors like "smudge" to verbally interpret that tasty Moog filter timbre. Well done!
Wow, thanks a lot!
You do some of the highest quality, most honest and useful reviews of anyone out there. Thank you!
This was a well done review. Thank you. Here's one more reason to NOT consider this as a standalone synth: Moog's implementation of the 1-octave "keyboard" is *really* bad. It is a monophonic keyboard that only functions correctly/consistently if you don't overlap notes (e.g., play legato style or try doing a trill). If you do overlap notes, things go from bad to worse. For example, if you hold down the low C and then play any higher note nothing happens but if you hold the high C and play any lower note you get a correct pitch change (but no re-trigger of the EG). Things get really weird (i.e., awful) if you hold down one of the following notes -- A, A#, B -- and then play one of the other two notes in that trio (e.g., hold A and then play B) in which case you'll here a G# (which isn't correct for any of those three notes). You get a similar result with the notes F, F# and G (hold one, play either of the other two and you'll here an E). Moog's response to this amounts to, "Well, don't play it that way then." The problem, though, is that if you are relying on this excuse for a monophonic keyboard and you're playing anything remotely complex you're going to occasionally overlap notes and this thing is going to (more often than not) give you no note or the wrong note.
Interesting info. I think the only time I’ve even touched the keyboard was for a couple shots in this video! It’s a shame they didn’t leave it off and just go full eurorack!
@@Bloom_Music I try to keep in mind that this synth was probably designed during the pandemic (with people working remotely) and had to accommodate a chip shortage. And I kind of get them deciding on including a keyboard if they're targeting people who don't (yet) have a eurorack setup, although they could have also just included a MIDI interface, I suppose. But I don't get them putting such a lousy implementation of a monophonic keyboard on it. If I were them I'd be embarrassed to put the Moog name on something this bad. th-cam.com/video/WiA6oMcL0Bs/w-d-xo.html
It's great for causing chaos, though. The more I own my Moog Mavis, the less I try to organize it and the more I let its quirks take the lead. It often has cooler ideas than I would have.
Mark me down as someone who appreciated the effort you put into this video. I loved the transition shots you did between each feature. I’m older, but have wanted to mess around with this form of music for years; having worked in a massively popular club in Detroit during the mid to late 90’s and discovering tons of DJ’s and electronic music. That said, I don’t know a freakin thing. East coast, West coast? I have a lot to research, but I feel like I’d really like to dive in as a total beginner at 51. I just don’t want to buy something that I’ll end up getting discouraged with.
Thanks for the kind words! And it's never too late to learn! There's nothing better than playing patches that you created. It's an experience you won't get with other instruments! These days there are lots of reasonably priced options that are great to learn the basics of synthesis with. The Roland System-1, Korg Minilogue, Yamaha Reface CS, Arturia MiniBrute (1, not 2), Behringer MS-1, and Novation Bass Station 2 are all excellent synths to learn with. And if you're ok buying used, you can get any of those for a few hundred bucks or less, so you're not risking a lot. The basic subtractive synthesis you will learn on those units will translate pretty much universally to other, more powerful synthesizers, if you ever decide to upgrade. 👍🏼
Somewhere online I saw these words, "With the Mavis, there's less of a learning curve and more of a ramp." I couldn't agree more. If you just mess around with it, you'll come up with some cool tones. But if you delve into the manuals, both on paper and online, your learning and understanding will increase. The materials that come with the unit are very well written.
I'm relatively new to synthesis and have found the Mavis to be a very good platform for learning. Enjoy!
This should have more views and more likes.
Well done!
That oscillator fade in at 9:09 really caught my attention. Talk about phat. Geez. Great sounding instrument. I'm considering getting this.
Really enjoyed the format of your review! Straight to the point, informative and musical.
That crusty old oscilloscope is awesome.
Great points on the patch bay signal flow choices. I've got my Mavis on the way in the mail, I'm wondering if the modding community has work around for things like the vco patch out being pre filter. I know the Werkstatt community has discovered TONS of fun mods.
"You will be disappointed". This is possible. Maybe scope for hacking a euro breakout panel for those patch points.
Thanks for the revue that actually was a review for once and didn't hold out on the negatives.
Great review, thanks!
An excellent review!! Subscribed:)
Wow
Great video
Great work, love your videos, keep it up!
Great review.
I’ve been hooked on the Model D App for a few years now and have developed many, many presets that just sound amazing, but I’d love to have a hardware unit. Obviously the three oscillators are rather integral to the Model D... and that perhaps explains, mainly, why I hear nothing like the diverse array of sounds on these reviews. However the Cutoff Frequency and Amount of Contour sound indistinguishable to me; I suspect that’s one of the biggest tells that the digital modelling, great though it is, does fall some way short... the Cutoff filter does sound a little on the harsh side, lacking that analogue warmth. But I’m constantly surprised by the sounds I can get with such an intuitive, non-patch, system.
Recently I got very close to John Paul Jone’s keyboard sound on the MSG version of No Quarter, for instance... if anything it probably sounds better.
Love the Mavis but I completely agree. They should have ditched the keyboard and moved the patch points to the bottom.
I smiled when I heard your comment about the "Bucla territory". It kind of ran on my nerves to see all those TH-cam videos and press articles about the Mavis go "Moog going West Coast", as if it was just a matter of slapping a wave folder somewhere in the sound path. Sigh !
Fantastic video!!!
Nice video!
I would like to buy my first hardware synth and I prefer analog semi modular. Under 500 which is the best one for a complete noob for start the journey? Thanks a lot
I would highly recommend stretching your budget and picking up a used Moog Grandmother. If you are patient and keep an eye on Facebook and Craigslist, you can find one for $600 or cheaper. The Grandmother is a great semi-modular for a beginner because it follows a very traditional architecture, and the patch points are located on the actual "modules", rather than amassed in a patch bay. This is the ideal layout for learning modular synthesis. Also, the Grandmother sounds absolutely astonishing and is a guaranteed future classic. If you can't stretch your budget, then I would recommend the PWM Malevolent. It's a much more aggressive synth than the Grandmother, but it sounds great, and it also has its patch points clearly distributed across the panel. You could argue that there are "better" semi-modular synths out there for the money, but for someone looking to start their journey, these would be the best teaching synths. Anything with a more complex architecture or a patch bay style layout is going to have a much harsher learning curve.
@@Bloom_Music ok thanks :)
@@Bloom_Music ok thanks understand. The grandmother in Europe is 1200 new so is impossible to find it around 600. So I’ll look at the malevolent 👍
There's a bit of an impression that Moog are losing it having spent some good time with it.
Put a sine through that fixed fold to filter combo and wonder at the sound.
Oscillator is actually more buzz than other moogs, sublimevraw sound with the pwm.
Filter has a significantly different response to regular moog at high frequencies.
Loads of overdrive buzz with yhe internal oscillator. Maybe moog aiming for an lpg type sond. Plenty of buzz and crunch. Kind of gives you back some West vibe.
Maybe too much buzz for a moog, almost like you need a filter after the filter.
Bad marks for low output level, not really euro compatible.
I am so new at this. And I have a Korg Minilogue that I have not touched because I still cant find a sucint asnwer to my question when I ask: WHAT TYPE OF SPEAKERS(affordable) DO I NEED TO HOOK THIS UP TO?!
It will be hard to find a succinct answer to that question, because it is very opened ended! In what context are you using the speakers? Are you just jamming alone in your room, or are you trying to play a show? Is there a reason you don't want to use headphones? And do you want to be able to record the synth as well? 99% of people are going to be running their synth into a mixer or audio interface rather than directly into a set of speakers, so it's kind of an odd question. But if you really want to go directly into speakers, any set of studio monitors in the ~$80-100 price range will do just fine!
shocked at the lack of views on this
Happy accidents are the raison d'être of modular and semi-modular.
9:09 😳
This is such a disgusting sounding synth on its own my god.
I feel the same way about your comment!
@@cougarman8 good.
A valuable opinion and contribution to the discussion, even if I can't really understand it. Cheers!
Like "gnarly good" disgusting or "horrible bad" disgusting? I found it more number 1